Kelly Swanson

Everything Kelly does is custom written, and wrapped in humor and stories. Her curriculum is all centered around the power of story to connect - whether it’s the storyline running through your head, or the ways that you use story in business - the method is the same. The difference comes in the application or use of her Persuasion Principle and Story Formula.

The Story-driven LIFE

The motivational program “My Story-driven Life” is based on Kelly’s book “Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale?” How to change the storyline running through your head to deal with stress and change, and reach a higher level of peace, productivity, and prosperity. Laughing the whole way.

Follow Kelly on a journey through the power of story as it played out in her own life – ending with the four pillars to find passion, purpose, and confidence to set goals and reach them – and to create a winning mindset – laughing the whole way.

The ability to get the life we want, reach the goals we set, and achieve beyond our wildest dreams, depends on how we see it. Our ability to reframe difficult situations, think positively instead of negatively, and control the inner script running through our head, is vital to our success and happiness. Attitude is everything, and you are always the one thing you can control in life. Kelly’s programs are not meant to help you see what to change but change what you see.

Kelly learned to change her own life through story. She learned how to overcome shyness, and feelings of doubt, and a lack of confidence. She learned how to turn being the weird kid into using that weirdness to create a business she never imagined.

What makes Kelly different from all the other speakers making the same claims, is that Kelly uses humor and story to do it. Story is the highest form of motivation, leaving an emotional footprint on your audience that will truly help them change their perspective in a lasting way.

Kelly believes that content and entertainment can exist at the same time. You shouldn’t have to choose between the two. From talking to herself in the mirror, to delighting you with her chub rub story, Kelly takes the pains in her own life and finds strength in them. And in so doing, helps you find yours.

Audience Take-Aways
• Learn how stress impacts you physically
• Learn how stress is related to how you think – and how you can control it
• Learn six steps to rewrite your inner script
• Learn one technique to immediately put into practice to help you cultivate a positive perspective
• Walk away refreshed, inspired, and with a renewed sense of belief in yourself and your ability to deal with your situation
• Understand how the story you write becomes the life that you live

The Story Formula

Based on Kelly’s book “The Story Formula” which has been used in many industries and companies to teach people in business how to become better storytellers. Where the art of story meets the business of persuasion.

Learn Kelly’s proven formula for crafting and telling stories that connect, influence, and get results.

No matter what business you are in, or what job you hold, at some point you will find yourself in a position of influence – wanting or needing to convince someone else to do something. This makes us all, in a way, sales people. But telling people what they should do, and making them WANT to do it, are two very different things. And too many people stop at just telling people what to do.

Kelly’s program will teach you the fine art of connection – a soft skill that has actually become one of the most important tools you can have in business today. The ability to connect and engage with people.

Kelly’s Six Secrets To Connect will teach you how to go from manipulating to motivating – from communicating to connection – from telling people what to do, to making them want to do it.

The most powerful tool you have to connect is STORY. Not only has Kelly been using that tool to change lives for twenty years as a funny motivational speaker, Kelly has been studying the tool and helping thousands of people in business learn how to incorporate that tool into their own skill set.

Kelly is different from other storytelling speakers because she doesn’t just tell you that it’s important. She teaches you why it matters – the science behind it – the psychology of its impact on the brain. Not only that, she has developed a formula to help take out all the guesswork. A formula that people have used in all different types of industries to help them craft powerful compelling stories in business and leadership.
Kelly hosts workshops and camps, and has created an online course that teaches how to master this skill. Many claim that Kelly is the master of story in the speaking industry.

But more than that…..Kelly has a unique super power. She can take a five-minute story from someone in the audience and in five minutes give them tips to make it more powerful. People are amazed at how Kelly can magically transform a story and prove its power. Some even call her a wizard as they watch her story hot seats. But the truth is that she has studied and used story for twenty years. She knows how it works, and she knows how to help you find the magic in your story

Audience Take-Aways
• Learn six secrets to connect
• Learn the science behind story
• Learn Kelly’s Trojan Horse story formula
• Learn Kelly’s easy framework for crafting stories
• Learn how to make stories better and more compelling
• Learn crafting and delivery tips
• Watch Kelly remake stories in real time
• Learn how to be more authentic and engaging in business

The Story-driven TEAM

Let Kelly help your story-driven TEAM get excited about the collective story – the work they do and the difference they make – and how to stay focused in times of stress and change by understanding the power of the story vision.

Help Your Team Connect and Engage Through the Power of Your Story

This is the perfect program when your team is burned out and dealing with a lot of stress and change. This gets them tapped back into the passion and purpose for what they do and why it matters. Kelly uses story to show your employees how their small piece in this puzzle makes a big difference to the lives of others. Not just so they are told they matter – but that they are SHOWN they matter. This is perfect if you want to show appreciation for the attendees.

Kelly will teach the key principles that keep a team working together instead of apart, by helping them get a renewed sense of passion for the company story. Kelly will show them how to cultivate a healthy attitude that makes work not feel so much like work.

This is NOT a program on dealing with difficult people. This is not another program on dealing with millenials. This is a program on how to connect and engage with the people you serve – how to motivate each other and ourselves. This is based on the idea that getting a team engaged happens when you connect them to the company story – when you connect to the employee story – and when you connect to the story of the people you serve.

Audience Take-Aways
• Learn Kelly’s six secrets to connect and engage
• Learn how to rewrite their inner script to deal with stress and change
• Learn how to inspire and motivate others through story
• Practice connecting through story
• Learn some basic networking skills that connect and engage

The Story-driven COMMUNICATOR

My Story-driven Communicator Program will help you learn how to conquer the fear of speaking in public or in front of a group, and some simple story crafting and delivery techniques that are much more persuasive and authentic and easier to deliver than a crafted speech.

This program is not for the person who speaks as a profession but must speak in their profession.

Wish you were a better public speaker?

If you’re here, it’s probably because you don’t speak as a job, but have to speak FOR your job. And it terrifies you.

If you’re here, it might be because you lack confidence – feel stupid in front of people – are afraid of boring people – aren’t sure how to craft your words – or simply need some encouragement.

Whatever the reason, I am glad you came. It is my job to help you find your voice, share your story, wow your audience, and have a great time doing it.

You might be thinking, “But you don’t have any idea what it’s like for me. You’re a professional speaker. You do this for a living. I don’t.” Well it might surprise you to know that in the beginning, I was terrified. I wasn’t a good public speaker. I felt like an idiot giving talks. I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. I WAS A MESS.
I wasn’t born a natural speaker. I had to learn how to be. I had to learn how to have confidence – how to memorize words – how to be comfortable in front of people – how to persuade and convince – and how to keep the attention span of people who don’t have one. SO I GET IT.

But I did it. Not only did I do it myself (unlike many coaches out there) I actually created a successful speaking business, which isn’t easy. A speaking business driven by word-of-mouth.

What makes me different?

Let’s face it, there are a LOT of public speaking coaches out there. Tons of articles. Books. Training. Companies, Associations and Clubs that claim to make you better at public speaking. Lots of websites filled with fancy stock photos of people holding their arms out to a standing ovation.

Yuck.
Yet with all this access to all this information, most presentations still suck.
Why is that?

Because they’re all being taught the same basic communication and presentation skills that people were teaching fifty years ago.

This isn’t the 50s anymore. In fact, the way we communicate isn’t the same as it was even five years ago.
Now MORE THAN EVER we are living in a crowded noisy world where everybody is shouting to be heard about the noise.

No matter what platform you have – what message you bring – what end result you desire – you had better do more than just communicate effectively.

You had better CONNECT and provide an EXPERIENCE they don’t forget.
This isn’t about delivering a polished presentation. Yuck.
This is about influencing and persuading people in a real emotional way that has lasting impact.
That goes WAY beyond basic presentation skills.
That’s about connecting.

And that’s where I’m different than most people you meet teaching the same thing. I have spent fifteen years learning how to entertain and engage an audience – encourage and motivate them – get them to take action – and get them to buy what I’m selling.

I bring skills in both CRAFTING and DELIVERING a presentation that truly stands out from the rest.
I know how to give your words more power – and make you more authentic on the platform.

And it’s actually easier than you think.

Audience Take-Aways
• How to communicate with authenticity
• How to use story to be more powerful
• Basic delivery tips
• Basic presentation skills
• How to get over fear and build confidence
• How to stand out among other presenters

The Story-driven SALES PERSON

The Story-driven SALES PERSON program you will learn how to add story to your presentation so that you don’t just reach their mind, you reach their heart, to leave that critical emotional footprint to close the sale and stand out among the competition.

Where the art of story meets the business of persuasion. With all the sales books out there, why aren’t sales people getting better?  Because they don’t know how to connect.

Most sales people agree that sales is about relationships. But most sales people still resort to facts and data to sell. Selling is about emotion, and the one who can make that critical emotional connection is the one who most often gets the job.

When it comes to sales we all know that people buy from people they like, trust, believe, and feel like they know. Those four words – like, trust, believe, and know – have nothing to do with what you know, what you put on your slides, or how well your suit fits. They have EVERYTHING to do with how you make someone FEEL – about you, about your product, and about themselves.

That’s where story comes in.

Strategic Storytelling is the only tool that can truly make an emotional connection on your listener. That can actually take that data and wrap it in a way that truly persuades the buyer.

But it’s not about Story Telling, it’s really about Story Selling. It’s about being strategic about the stories you choose, how you craft them, and how you present them to your listener. And that’s where Kelly is the master.
Kelly has spent 20 years studying the power of story and using it to motivate people to take action. She has coached thousands of people in business with her simple Story Formula and Story Framework that will guide you through the process of creating home run stories every time.

The best part of Kelly’s programs is that they aren’t simply Kelly talking. Kelly makes the program interactive as she brings your sales people into the hot seat. Your attendee shares a five-minute story and Kelly will show them how – in five minutes – to take it to a whole new level. Her hot seats are amazing and extremely valuable. Much better than a speaker who just gives you a bunch of talking points.

Audience Take-Aways
• Why story works – understand the tool
• Kelly’s Story Formula to create a connection with the buyer
• How to find stories that relate to the audience
• How to tap into your listener’s story
• How to craft the story to fit the platform
• What makes a great story
• How to talk about yourself without talking about yourself
• How to weave story into your sales presentation
• How to be a more authentic communicator
• Watch coaching in real time

The Story-driven CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Story-driven CUSTOMER SERVICE Program will help you discover the six secrets to connecting with people on a deeper level – to go from customers to raving fans – by connecting through your story to theirs.
There’s no question about it, excellent customer service isn’t just about delivering a quality product with a smile. It’s not really about the product at all. It’s about the experience you give your customer the moment they have contact with your brand, and long after they leave your building. That’s how you turn a customer into a raving fan.

So how do we create an experience they never forget? By focusing not just on what you do, but how you make them FEEL.

Kelly Swanson has spent 20 years as a motivational speaker studying this very thing – how to create an experience for strangers so that they remember her brand for years. And now she will share those secrets with you.

In this high-energy, laugh-filled, story driven program, you will shift your perspective in how you see yourself, your service, and the people you serve. You will learn the art of Story Driven Customer Service. And it WILL make a difference.

Audience Take-Aways
• Learn Kelly’s Six Secrets to Creating An Emotional Connection
• Learn simple networking skills that focus on creating common ground between you and your buyer
• Learn how to be a storyteller of your brand – tell the story of your product – and tap into the story of your buyer – even when you don’t have time to tell a story.

The Story-driven LEADER

The Story-driven LEADER program will help establish that our role in leadership is to serve as the conductor – setting the tempo and tone – making sure everybody is playing nicely together. But too many of us focus on processes and procedures – forgetting that people need more.

According to the latest Gallup poll, 73% of employees are disengaged at work. And if nothing changes, that number is predicted to rise to 86%. Can you imagine a world where 86% of your people have checked out, they just haven’t left yet?

Leadership is not about telling people what to do, but inspiring them to want to do it. True leaders create fans, and Kelly will teach you how to create employees who buy-in to your vision. In this high-energy program, Kelly teaches you how to maximize the value of your leadership platform by going from manipulating to motivating – from communication effectively to connecting deeply – from telling people what to do, to making them want to do it.

Be the leader people want to follow.

Audience Take-Aways
• The importance of Emotional Connection
• Six ways to connect with those you serve
• How to use Story to create buy-in
• What is Story and how does it work